1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the formation of plastic parts, and more particularly to detecting the use of an improper processing temperature.
2. Background of the Related Art
Computer systems are complex combinations of parts working together to accomplish a design objective. Aside from the actual computers, servers, switches, network hardware and the like, the infrastructure used to arrange and manage the computer hardware can also be complex and may involve numerous parts that are especially made for a particular purpose.
Plastic parts are beneficial for use in the infrastructure of a computer system because they can be inexpensive to make, are typically electronically non-conductive, and may be strong without being heavy. Accordingly, many structural components in a computer system will be made from plastic. Furthermore, these same advantages that make plastics a useful material in computer systems also make plastics useful in non-limiting applications, ranging from household items to automotive parts.
However, plastic parts must be processed properly in order to avoid degradation and obtain their intended physical properties, such as strength. For example, it is important to form the plastic part at the manufacturer's recommended temperature in order to avoid compromising the flexural strength, fatigue resistance, or other physical properties of the plastic. Even normal use of such parts may result in broken parts. It is unfortunate that plastic parts may be processed under conditions that are outside of the resin manufacturer's recommended process conditions in order to produce more parts in the shortest period of time. Once these plastic parts have been made, detection of improper processing requires time consuming and destructive analytical techniques that are not routinely performed at the time of processing.
Unfortunately, the compromised physical properties of a molded plastic part that has been made outside of the proper processing conditions may not become evident until long after the part has been in service and suffers a failure during use. At that point, the failed part must be replaced at the expense of the additional part, inconvenience, and potential downtime of related devices. For example, if a plastic latch used to secure a hard disk drive into a chassis bay was formed under improper conditions, the latch may break during use. As a result of the broken latch, a new latch or new carriage for the hard drive may be required. Until the broken part is satisfactorily replaced, the hard drive itself may remain out-of-service.